F0835 F835: Administer the facility in a manner that enables it to use its resources effectively and efficiently.
F

Failure to Ensure Access to Psychiatric and Psychotherapy Services

Humboldt House Rehabilitation And Nursing CenterBuffalo, New York Survey Completed on 10-10-2025

Summary

The facility was cited for not being administered in a manner that enabled it to use its resources effectively and efficiently to attain or maintain residents’ highest practicable physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being. The survey found that psychiatric services were not consistently available, and the facility did not ensure that residents could access psychotherapy or follow-up psychiatric care when recommended by providers. The facility assessment identified mental/behavioral health providers as contracted resources, and the administrator’s job description stated that consultants and other support resources were to be appropriately utilized, but the facility did not have a clear process in place to secure those services during a lapse in psychiatric coverage. For one resident, the psychiatrist recommended psychotherapy services, but the social worker stated no referral request had been made and acknowledged that this should have been done. The psychiatrist stated they expected the social worker to follow up with the recommendation and arrange counseling or group therapy. The DON stated the resident was not participating in psychotherapy with the facility psychologist, that the facility could not provide a phone number for the psychologist and communicated only by email, and that no policy on psychology consultants could be located. For another resident, nursing notes documented aggressive behavior, elopement attempts, wandering, and entering other residents’ rooms. A nurse practitioner documented follow-up after a resident-to-resident altercation and recommended psych follow-up as indicated. The facility’s leadership stated there was about a month when the facility was between psychiatric providers, that the July-to-September gap was not appropriate after the recommendation was made, and that if no psychiatrist was available the physician should have been notified. The administrator stated there was a lapse when there was no psychiatric provider and that the facility should have looked at other resources and made an appointment for the resident and any others who needed psychiatric services during that time.

Penalty

Inspection fine: $198,242
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The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.

Resources

Below are regulatory guidelines relevant to this citation:

See other F0835 citations
Failure to Protect a Known Elopement Risk
D
F0835 F835: Administer the facility in a manner that enables it to use its resources effectively and efficiently.
Short Summary

The NHA and DON failed to manage the facility effectively to protect a resident known to be at risk for elopement. A resident exited the assigned nursing unit unsupervised, and the report states this created an Immediate Jeopardy situation for one of fourteen residents documented as elopement risks. The NHA and DON confirmed the administrative failure during interview.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Ineffective Administration Affecting Falls, Staffing, Nutrition, Immunizations, and Abuse Prevention
F
F0835 F835: Administer the facility in a manner that enables it to use its resources effectively and efficiently.
Short Summary

Ineffective administration led to multiple failures in fall management, staffing, nutrition, immunization education, and abuse prevention. The facility did not follow fall interventions or complete accurate fall assessments and investigations, and two residents sustained serious injuries, including rib fractures and a thoracic burst fracture after an improper transfer. The report also cites inadequate RN coverage, insufficient staffing, missed dialysis transport, inaccurate documentation, falsified bathing records, failure to provide snacks and adaptive equipment, and abuse-related issues including verbal abuse and misappropriation of resident funds and property.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Failure to Timely Report Abuse and Neglect Allegations
E
F0835 F835: Administer the facility in a manner that enables it to use its resources effectively and efficiently.
Short Summary

Failure to Timely Report Abuse and Neglect Allegations: The facility failed to maintain an effective system for timely reporting allegations of abuse and neglect after a prior F609 citation for the same issue. Surveyors found nine late reports involving multiple residents, and staff and the administrator acknowledged ongoing difficulty tracking when reports were due, with most late reports occurring during the monitoring period after the earlier deficiency.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Failure to Protect Resident from Elopement
J
F0835 F835: Administer the facility in a manner that enables it to use its resources effectively and efficiently.
Short Summary

A resident with dementia and wandering tendencies was not protected from elopement after staff failed to follow instructions to place a Wander Guard and move him to the Secured Memory Unit. The resident was seen in the lobby, later could not be located, and was found miles from the facility after leaving unsupervised; the front entry door also lacked an operational Wander Guard system.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Failure to Ensure Supervision and Elopement Prevention
D
F0835 F835: Administer the facility in a manner that enables it to use its resources effectively and efficiently.
Short Summary

Failure to Ensure Supervision and Elopement Prevention: The facility failed to consistently supervise and maintain safety interventions to prevent elopement for residents. Review of records, job descriptions, and staff interviews showed the NHA and DON did not effectively manage the facility to ensure proper supervision and elopement prevention interventions were implemented, and they failed to fulfill their essential duties to ensure federal and state guidelines and regulations were followed.

Inspection fine: $14,385
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The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Unqualified Social Service Director Hired
F
F0835 F835: Administer the facility in a manner that enables it to use its resources effectively and efficiently.
Short Summary

Unqualified Social Service Director Hired: The facility failed to ensure the Social Service Director met the stated qualification of a bachelor's degree and 1 year of social services experience. The Administrator stated the current SSD was still in school and had not completed her degree, while a behavioral health director with a degree only helped with social services at times and was not the SSD. The job description and facility policy did not align with current regulatory requirements, and the facility census was 182 residents.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
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